Bow-facing oarlock



July 6, 1943. P. M. GRIFFIN BOW-FACING OARLOCK Filed Jan. 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 'l I I I /N l/EN 7-01? Percy M G/v/flh A 7' TORNE Y July 6, 1943. P. M. GRIFFIN BOW-FACING OARLOCK Filed Jan. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Shget 2 A 7- TOP/V5 9.

Patented July 6, 1943 UNITED STAS ram 33133 BOW-FACING OARLOCK Percy M. Griffin, Albany, N. Y. Application January 5, 1933, Serial No. 249,457

12 Claims.

My invention relates to car propelled boats and more particularly to improvements in oarlocks or oar holding devices of the bow-facing type.

It is much easier to propel a boat by pulling on the oars than it is by pushing, but pulling has the disadvantage that, with the ordinary type of oar, the oarsman does not face the direction in which the boat is moving.

It has been proposed to provide oarlocks or oar holding devices attached to the boat which are so designed that pulling on the oars propels the boat in a direction in which the oarsman is facing. Devices of this kind; like the ordinary oarlock, must provide for substantially universal movement of the oar so that the blade thereof, at the beginning of the stroke, may be dipped in the water, pulled through the water to the end of the stroke, raised out of the water and swung back to position for the repetition of the cycle. While the oar is moving through the water, it describes a cone about its axis of rotation, and to obtain the best effect this axis must be vertical or perpendicular to the surface of the water. When the oar is rotated about a vertical axis and is maintained at a constant angle thereto, the

plane of the blade of the car during its movement through the water will always be perpendicular to the surface of the water so that practically all of the energy applied thereto will be utilized in propelling the boat. Another object is to provide a device of the character described of light, simple construction which may be readily attached to any boat and which may be conveniently collapsed or folded to facilitate transportation.

I accomplish these objects by means of the,

novel elements and the combinations and arrangements thereof described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1, is an elevation view, partially in section, of one of my oarlocks showing it attached plane of the blade of the oar is always vertical and is immersed in the water to the same extent throughout the stroke. b

In practically all boats the sides are inclined outwardly and upwardly from the bottom of the boat to the gunwale, and, in the case of the ordinary oarlock socket, the axis about which the oar rotates when in the water is parallel to the side of the boat or, in other words, inclined to the vertical. In such a case, it is quite apparent that the cone described by the oar, considering the surface of the water as a base thereof, is an oblique cone. Furthermore, the plane of the blade of the oar is perpendicular to the plane of the surface of the water only when the axis of the oar lies in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat. At the beginning of the stroke and at the end of the stroke, the plane of theblade of the oar intersects the surface of the water at an angle other than 90.

Oarlocks of the type in which the axis about which the car moves when in the water is not vertical make the boat very difiicult to row because the energy which is applied to the car is not transmitted to the Water in the proper direction and this defect has been carried quite consistently into the design of all oarlocks of the bow-facing type of which I am aware;

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a bow-facing oarlock in which the 3 secured in fixed relation to the boat. Above the.

to the gunwale of a boat, and as viewed in looking toward the bow of the boat;

Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1 in the plane 2 -2; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of my device; Fig. 4 is an elevation View of a socket adapted. to be permanently affixed to the side of a boat; Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 4 in the plane 5-5; Fig. 6 is a plan View of a quick detachable form of socket;

Fig. '7 is an elevation view of the socket shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view showing how one of my oars may be collapsed or folded for transportation.

Referring to the drawings, my device comprises a base I provided with spaced dependingprojections 2 adapted to be received in a socket 3 secured to the gunwale 4 of a boat by means of bolts 5. of the base I is horizontal and that the base is base I and spaced therefrom in a manner to be hereinafter described is a top plate 8. having spaced, centrally-disposed, upstanding legs 9 identical with the depending projections 2 on the base plate I. are preferably identical in size and configuration and may be cast from the same pattern. The base i and plate 8 are secured in spaced vertical relation by means of studs or bolts 6 having reduced portions through the plate 8 and riveted thereover as shown at H. Similar reduced portions of the studs 6 extending through the base i are thread-.

ed to receive the nuts l2. Surroundin the studs' fi are bearings, represented generally at l3, and which are illustrated as ball bearings although it will be obvious that roller bearings, either of the standard or so-called quill type, may be substituted therefor. Washers l4 and It is to be understood that the top The base I and the top plate 8,

H) at the top passing i at the top and bottom respectively serve to maintain moving clearance for the outer part 16 of the bearing between the base I and top plate 8.

Closely fitted about the outer races l6 of the bearings 13 are the handle holding portion of the oar, represented generally by the numeral l1, and the paddle holding portion, represented generally by the numeral l8. These portions comprise identical elements l9 and 29 respectively which, in elevation, appear L-shaped. The base portions of the elements l9 and 20 which surround the bearings l3 are formed as meshed gears 2| and 22 respectively. The upstanding portions 23 and 24 are bored horizontally to receive the pins 25 which form trurmions on which the handle engaging portion or element 26 and the paddle engaging or holding portion 21, respectively, are mounted. The handle and oar holding portions 26 and 21 are identical castings although the paddle holding portion 21 in the assembly is inverted with respect to the handle holding portion 28, as shown in Fig. 1. These elements, where they engage the handle and paddle of the oar, are generally cylindrical and hollow with portions removed for lightness as shown at 28 and 29 in Figs. 1, 3 and 8. The cylindrical portion terminates in a split ring 30 designed to be clamped about the oar or handle by means of the clamping bolt 3 I. A generally vertical .opening 32 is provided in these elements to receive the upstanding portion 23 or 24, as the case may be, of one of the meshed gear elements. The pins 25 extend through the handle and paddle holding elements so that these elements are pivotally mounted thereon.

The ends of the oar and paddle engaging elements which face each other are bifurcated, as shown at 33, to form bearing surfaces 34 and 35 which engage spherical rollers 36 and 31 rotatably mounted on pins 38 and 39 in the rocker or oscillating motion transmitting element 40 which, in turn, is pivotally mounted on the pin 4 I.

By reference to Figs. 1, 3 and 8 it will be noted that the zones within which the bifurcated portions of the oar and paddle holding means cooperate with the spherical rollers 36 are above the gears 2i and 22 and substantially in alignment with the axes of these gears. Thus the downward pressure on the handle portions of the oars which is required to raise the paddle portions thereof is always the same irrespective of the relative position of these portions. Thus, the paddle portions of the oars can be raised by the same pressure on the handles when the parts are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 8 as when the parts are in the relative positions illustrated in Fig.1.

Theportions of the oar and paddle holding elements at either side of a pin 25 are angularly disposed to each other, and I prefer that the angle A as indicated in Fig. 1 be about 15". Assuming that the angle A equals 15, it will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 1 that when the rocker or oscillating element 40 is horizontal, the paddle end of. the oar will lie below a horizontal plane through the rocker and at an angle of 15 thereto, while the handle portion of the oar will lie above this horizontal plane and at an angle of 15 thereto. I find that if the device is so designed as to provide a maximum vertical angular movement of about 40 of the handle and paddle portion of the oar very satisfactory results are attained. The vertical motion of the oar and. paddle holding elements about pins 25 may be limited by stops in the form of laterally projecting surfaces 42 on the sides of the upstanding portions 23 and 24. Assuming the rocker 46 to be horizontal, as shown in Fig. 1, I prefer so to position the stops 42 that the handle end of the oar may have a maximum upward movement of about 35 above a horizontal plane through the axis of the rocker 40 and a maximum downward movement of 5 below this plane. In other words, when the handle end of the car is above this plane and inclined at the maximum angle of 35 thereto, the paddle end of the oar will be below the aforesaid horizontal plane and inclined thereto at a maximum angle of 35.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that both the paddle holding element and the handle holding element are mounted for substantially universal movement. That is to say, they are rotatable together in opposite directions about the vertical axes of the bearings and are also movable up and down on the pins or trunnions 25 as horizontal axes. When the boat is on even keel the axes of the bearings are verticalor normal to the water surface, and the axes of the trunnions are horizontal or parallel to the water surface. In other words, the axes about which the holding elements are rotatable are secured in substantially fixed angular relation to the surface of the water.

If the socket which is secured to the gunwale of the boat has its axis vertical, then the axis of the paddle portion of the car will always describe a right cone about the vertical axis through its bearing and, in this way, the blade of the oar will always be maintained perpendicular to the horizontal or to the surface of the water.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a quick clamping device whereby a socket may be secured to the gunwale of any boat. The socket element proper is represented by the numeral 43 and has the sockets 60 therein adapted to receive the elements 2 which depend from the base plate. The socket element is slidable on the threaded bolt 44 which may be turned by means of the handle 45 pivotally secured to one end thereof as shown at 46. A nut element 41 is threaded onto the other end of the bolt 44 and is provided with a jaw 49 adapted to engage the outside of the side of the boat while the jaw 50 on the socket engages the inside of the side of the boat. In securing the socket to the boat, the jaws are slipped over the side and, with the handle 45 in the position 45, shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7, the bolt is tightened as much as possible. The handle 45 is then swung downwardly from the position 45' to the position 45 so that the cams 5| on the sides thereof will engage the outside of the socket element 43 and thus securely tighten the device on the gunwale. V

In Fig. 8 I have shown how my device may be collapsed or folded for carrying, and in order to secure the parts in folded relation, an elastic band 52 permanently secured to the oar by means of a metal strap 53 may be provided. By snapping this elastic band around the handle end of the oar, the parts will be secured in folded relation.

.While I have described myinvention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. In a bow-facing oarlock, the combination with a paddle holding means, of a mounting therefor providing substantially universal movement of said means, a handle holding means and a mounting therefor providing substantially universal movement of said handle holding means, gearing connecting said mountings, and a rocker cooperating with said holding means; whereby said handle and paddle move together but in opposite directions.

2. A bow-facing oarlock comprising a base provided with means adapted to secure said base to a boat in fixed relation thereto, a pair of meshed gears rotatably mounted in said base on fixed axes which are substantially vertical when said boat is on even keel, a paddle holder connected to one of said gears, a pivotal mounting therefor, a handle holder connected to the other of said gears, a pivotal mounting for said handle holder and means cooperating with both said holders for transmitting movement of the handle holder on its pivotal mounting to the paddle holder on its pivotal mounting.

3. A bow-facing oarlock comprising a base, provided with means adapting it to be secured to a boat in fixed relation thereto, a paddle holder, means securing said holder to said base in rotatable relation thereto about a fixed, substantially vertical axis and also about a, substantially horizontal axis, a handle holder, means securing said handle holder to said base in rotatable relation thereto about a fixed, substantially vertical axis and also about a substantially horizontal axis, and oscillating, motion-transmitting means cooperating with said holders.

4. A bow-facing oarlock comprising a base, provided with means adapting it to be secured to a boat in fixed relation thereto, a paddle holder, means securing said holder to said base in rotatable relation thereto about a fixed, substantially vertical axis and also about a substantially horizontal axis, a handle holder, means securing said handle holder to said base in rotatable relation thereto about a fixed, substantially vertical axis and also about a substantially horizontal axis; said holders being provided with cooperating means for simultaneous rotation in opposite directions about said vertical axes; and oscillating, motion-transmitting means cooperating with said holders.

5. A bow-facing oarlock comprising a paddle holding means, a pivotal mounting therefor providing up and down movement of said means, a handle holding means, a pivotal mounting for said handle holding means providing up and down movement thereof, a motion-transmitting rocker cooperating with both said holding means, a pivotal mounting for said rocker having its axis disposed between said holding means, and means for securing said oarlock to a boat with the axis of said rocker mounting in fixed relation thereto.

6. In a bow-facing oarlock, the combination with means for holding a paddle portion of an oar, of means for holding a separate handle portion thereof, separate mountings for said holding means each including a pivotal bearing having a fixed, substantially vertically-extending axis of rotation and a bearing having a substantially horizontally-extending axis of rotation about both of which said axes the respective holding means associated therewith is rotatable, means for transmittin up and down motion of the handle holding means as down and up motion, respectively, to the paddle holding means, and means for transmitting rotary motion of said handle holding means about its vertically extending axis to the paddle holding means about its vertically extending axis but in the opposite direction of rotation. 7. In a bow-facing oarlock, the combination with a base adapted to be secured to a boat in fixed relation thereto, of a paddle portion of an oar, a handle portion of an oar, separat means for securing said paddle and handle portions, respectively, to said base, each such means including two pivotal bearings having their axes disposed in fixed angular relation to said base and about which the associated portion of said oar is rotatable, and mechanism cooperating with said oar portions for transmitting rotary movements of said handle portion about its associated bearings to said paddle portion about its associated bearings so constructed and arranged that rotary movements of the handle portion about one of its two pivotal bearings produces rotary movement in the same direction of said paddle portion about one of its two pivotal bearings, and rotary movement of saidhandle portion about the other of its said bearings produces rotary movement in the opposite direction of said paddle portion about the other of its bearings.

8. In a bow-facing oarlock for a boat, the combination with paddle holding means of a mounting therefor providing a plurality of rotary movements of said paddle holding means including movement about an axis extending in a fixed, substantially vertical direction when said boat is on even keel, a separate handle holding means, a mounting for said handle holding means providing substantially universal rotary movement thereof, and means for securing said mountings to a boat together with mechanism cooperating with said holding means for transmitting rotary motion of the handle holding means to the paddle holding means so constructed and arranged that back and forth rowingmovements of the handle holding means about its mounting produce back and forth movements, respectively, of the paddle holding means about said vertically extending axis, and up and down movements of said handle holding means produce down and up movements, respectively, of the paddle holding means.

9. In a bow-facing car look for a boat, the combination with a paddle portion of an oar, of pivotal mountings therefor including one providing rotational movement of said paddle portion about a fixed axis which is substantially vertical when said boat is on even keel, a separate handle portion of an oar, mountings for said handle portion providing substantially universal movement thereof, and mechanism coop rating with said portions and so constructed and arranged that back and forth movements of said handle portion are transmitted to said paddle portion as back and forth movements, respectively, thereof about said pivotal mounting having a fixed vertical axis, and up and down movements of said handle portion are transmitted to said paddle portion as down and up movements, respectively, thereof. 7

10. In a bow-facing oarlock, the combination with means for holding a paddle portion of an oar, of a mounting for said holding means providing up and down and back and forth rowing movements thereof and of the paddle held thereby with the plane of said paddle substantially vertical throughout its boat propelling range of movement, means for holding a separate handle portion thereof, a mounting for said handleholding portion providing up and down and back and forth rowing movements thereof and of the handle portion held thereby, and mechanism for transmitting back and forth movements of said handle-holding means to said paddle-holding mean as back and forth movements, respectlvely, thereof, and up and down movements of said handle-holding means to said paddle-holdin means as down and up movements, respectively, thereof.

-11. In a bow-facing oarlock the combination with a paddle portion of an oar, of a mounting therefor providing back and forth and up and down rowing movements of said portion with the plane of th paddle substantially vertical throughout its boat propelling range of movements, a separate handle portion of an car, a mounting therefor providing back and forth and up and down rowing movements of said handle portion, and mechanism for transmitting said back and forth movements of said handle portion to said paddle portion as back and forth movements, respectively, thereof, and up and down movements of said handle portion to said paddl portion as down and up movements, respectively, of said paddle with the plane thereof substantially vertical throughout said movements irrespective of the relative positions of said handie and paddle portions.

12. A bow-facing oarlock comprising a paddleholding means and a handle-holding means, separate pivotal mountings therefor including two meshing gears, one on each of said mountings whereby said mountings rotate together but in opposite directions, and a rocker cooperating with said paddle-holding means and said handleholding means, respectively, in zones substantially in alignment with the respective axes of said gears for transmitting up and down movements of the handle-holding means to the paddle-holding means as down and up movements thereof.

PERCY M. GRIFFIN. 

